On My Mind
by lonemirage14
Summary: Picking up 4 months after Jude leaves for London, this is my take on what happened after the series finale.  Don't want to give away anything!
1. Author's Note and Disclaimer

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER:

Like so many others, I was really disappointed in the series finale of Instant Star. I rarely watch past the engagement scene, the end is just too depressing!

Knowing the show was originally supposed to be 5 seasons, I often wondered what that last season would've been like, and if the 4th would've ended the way it did.

Having watched the series since the first season aired on The-N, and re-watching it over the past several years, I feel like I know the characters well, and I've had this story kicking around in my head for awhile now.

While not new to fanfic in general, I am new to the IS fanfic world, so kind reviews are appreciated. :) I also write non fanfic fiction, so I would say I've combined my personal writing style with the characters from the show, and I've created what I think could've happened after the finale.

Any song lyrics will be noted with proper credit at the end of a chapter, and I will give information as to where to find the song, if possible.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Instant Star or any of the characters.


	2. Chapter 1:  Aftermath

It had been 4 months. 4 long months of late nights in the studio, sleeping till 2, and medicating relentlessly with caffeine. 4 months without him, and 4 months to kick herself repeatedly over what she had done.

"Jude", the voice startling her back into reality, "Jude darling, you're drifting again. We are so close to finishing this song."

She forced her head up, and looked through the glass at her new producer, Colin, and nodded tiredly. _Tell the truth Jude,_ she thought to herself, _it hasn't been 4 months, its been 4 months 14 days and 3 hours since you last saw him. When you crushed him. And yourself._

She did one more take on the vocals, collapsing beside Colin near the sound board when she was through.

"We've got to do something to pull you out of this state you're in. You barely sleep, you live on take out, and you've holed yourself up in the studio since you've been in London. Not that I don't love a good work ethic, but its as if you've entered a convent. If you're not working, you're sulking silently."

Jude sighed, and leaned her head back against the chair. Colin was right, she'd barely explored London since she'd arrived, and wasn't that part of leaving Tommy behind? Living her life, on her own?

"I'm drowning Colin. God, I left for a new experience and all I can think about is how I shattered his heart into a million pieces and ran off to England. What have I done?" Jude buried her head in her hands and screamed in frustration.

"Jude, we are musicians, we wallow in our sorrows and regrets for good music, but at some point you've got to pick yourself back up and either move on or do something. Now, I've been with you nearly every day for the past 4 months, and I think we can clearly agree that you aren't moving on any time soon. So, what we need is a plan."

Jude looked up, eyes more hopeful than they had been in months. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>Later that night, Jude dragged herself up Colin's steps, bracing herself. 3 ... 2... 1... she thought, and here we go. Colin's wife, his 3rd, flew out the door and practically knocked Jude down the steps.<p>

"Jude dear! I'm so happy you've come over this evening! Colin told me all about the plan we need to come up with, its all so thrilling and romantic!" Her bleach blonde hair blinded Jude, but she knew Kim was just being her genuine self, even if her constant good moods made Jude want to strangle her on occasion.

Kim led her inside, and the two met Colin in the living room.

"So?" Jude began, "What exactly are we going to do?" She had thought about it for hours, and mentally smacked herself, deeming every idea stupid.

They spent nearly an hour discussing and discarding ideas, while Kim flitted in and out of the room, bringing drinks and appetizers. After listening to their conversation for a moment, Kim leaned over Colin, looking at the paper where he had scratched his grand plans and shook her head.

"Jude, why don't you send him a song? You always say that you connected most on a musical level, let him hear what your heart is saying."

Jude and Colin looked up at Kim, shocked.

"That's bloody brilliant dear! Jude, you know what song you need to send."

Kim and Colin stared at Jude expectantly, as Kim pushed the appetizer plate purposefully towards Jude. Kim was constantly trying to get Jude to ingest something more than coffee and licorice.

Jude groaned and covered her eyes, shaking her head.

"Oh no, no, no, no. We can't send THAT song Colin! I will die, simply die!" She threw herself back on the couch, muttering on about how the mortification alone could never allow her to return to Toronto in a million years.

Kim and Colin looked at each other, shaking their heads. Kim put down the water pitcher, and crossed over to the couch, kneeling next to Jude.

"You have to be completely and totally honest with him Jude, its the only way. If you truly, deep in your heart, want to try and make things right, and down the road even try to be with him again, you've got to lay it all out on the table."

Jude turned towards Kim. "You remind me of my sister, that's exactly something she would say. Must be the hair." Jude smiled slightly. Then worry crossed her face.

"But that song is on lock down at the studio Col, no way they are going to let that song leave property lines!"

"Jude, do you think I could have single handedly revolutionized music in England without a few tricks up my sleeve?" He ran off into his study, while Kim and Jude rolled their eyes at each other, shaking their heads at his ego.

He came back a minute later with his laptop and a grin ear to ear. "Good thing I keep a copy of every song I produce on this laptop my girl! Now, how will we get this to him?"

They both looked expectantly at Kim, but she shrugged, her inspiration gone for the evening.

"Call Spied. We've got to call Spied."


	3. Chapter 2:  The Plan

"Jude my dude! What's going on?" Spied yelled into the phone over background noise.

"I need your help Spied, is there a place you can talk - alone?" She waited for him to move, and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Ok, I'm alone. What's up Jude? You sound ... well, just tell me what you need my help with."

She explained the plan about the song, asking Spied what his ideas were on getting it to Tommy.

"I don't know how you'll feel about it, but you know there's only one person who is spending enough time with him to pull this one off dudes."

Karma. Jude sighed. Ironically, Karma had been in her corner since she left for London. Almost losing Spied to their crazy reality show divorce had forced her to admit that she had a heart. Tommy was producing Karma's record, and Karma had called or emailed Jude faithfully with any and all Tommy updates.

"You're right Spied, I can't believe I'm saying this, but she's the only person to do it. The question now is, how do we get it to him without him immediately freaking because its from me?"

"We've got to get Karma in on this, like, yesterday, you know her mind works." Spied laughed and Jude could only shake her head and think of the time that Karma set up Jude and Spied in front of the cameras, acting like they were having an affair behind her back.

"Alright Vin, talk with her and call me back ASAP. You know I can't sleep without figuring this one out."

* * *

><p>Jude had cleaned up her bathroom, organized her guitar picks, and eaten at least 15 chocolates by the time Spied called back an hour later.<p>

"Jude, its Karma. I've got a plan. Send the song to me and Spiedy - we will burn it to a CD, but I won't label it. Tomorrow morning I'll go in for our session, and hand it Tommy, telling him its something I've been working on with Spied. You know he will roll his eyes and demand me to get coffee for him, which is the perfect moment for me to slip out while he plays the CD. I'll hide in the next room and call you."

Jude put down the chocolate and her heart pounded rapidly. _Too much sugar today_, she thought,_ too much sugar and Tommy thoughts_.

"That's actually perfect Karma, I'm gonna send over the track now. But you both have to swear to me, that you will not, under ANY circumstances listen to the song OR share it with anyone. Got it?"

"Dudes, we got it, I don't wanna listen to ANOTHER song about Lord Squinty Frown anyways!" Jude smiled in spite of herself and felt her pulse start to come down.


	4. Chapter 3: Penance

Spied walked Karma to G Major the next morning, personally carrying Jude's heart on the CD they had burned late the night before.

"Ok, Karm, you've got the plan right? You know what this means to Jude so, please, don't mess this up." Spied looked sternly at Karma, praying for Jude's sake, and his own life, that Karma would pull through.

"Spiedy, I've got it. Hand me the CD, and text Jude that I'm here. I'll call you with an update later at NBR!" Karma kissed Spied quickly on the cheek, waved to some invisible paparazzi, and strutted into the building.

Spied smiled to himself and shook his head, texting Jude, and heading back towards NBR.

Karma took a deep breath as she maintained what she hoped was a normal smile, and pulled open the last door of Darius' endless entryway. Truth be told, she was happy to do this for Jude, she knew how much Jude meant to Vincent and Karma also knew she needed to make up for accusing them of having an affair. No one needed to know that she was still paying penance for that though.

She spotted her prey coming through the back door, sunglasses on and collar flipped up as usual. _Ok, Karma_, she said to herself,_ you have a mission to do._

"Oh, Tommy! Hi!" She screeched through the hall, causing Tommy to wince and put his hands over his ears.

"Karma, its way too early for such high volume, what's got you so ... enthusiastic this morning?"

She followed him into studio A, willing herself to keep a smile plastered on her face.

"Spiedykins and I were up all night working on a new duet! I really want you to hear it! Please?"

Tommy sighed, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal bloodshot eyes. He knew if he said no to Karma, she would just pester him until she got her way, so he might as well take the bullet now and save himself from the pain later.

"Ok, fine. I will listen to it ONE time. Why don't you get me a coffee and come back in a few minutes?"

Karma practically burst inside and scooted out the door, afraid he would change his mind. She headed towards the kitchen, but made a U-turn and stood where she could see Tommy through the booth windows.

"Jude, he's got the CD" She whispered as soon as Jude answered her phone.

Jude could hardly breathe, the pressure in her chest was so great. She stared out the window and paced in a circle.

Karma watched Tommy look at the CD, put it in the player, and shake his head. At the last second he plugged a set of headphones in, to Karma's relief.

"Karma, what's going on?"

"He just put headphones on, and he's pushing play ... hold tight, Jude."

Tommy rubbed at his eyes, vowing to try to actually sleep that night. He turned the volume up, and waited for Karma and Spied's surely saccharine duet to begin.

To his surprise, he was greeted with a soft acoustic opening. Maybe Spied's got Karma thinking in a different direction?

Then it hit him. The voice he had waited for, longed for, pined for, all these months since she'd left. Jude's vocals crashed over him so hard it made his knees weak and thankful he was sitting down. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes, letting her words wash over him, releasing every pent up tension and ache and pain. She had reached out to him, and he was an open wound.

_I Have Loved You Wrong*_

_Forgive me lover, for I have sinned_

_For I have done you wrong._

_For I have hurt beyond repair, _

_And when tears occurred _

_No, I didn't care._

_Forgive me Lover, for I have sinned_

_For I have loved you wrong._

_But this estranged organ in my chest _

_Still beats for you _

_It will not rest, so_

_Meet me in our secret place_

_When the time has come_

_And rest your head in my lap _

_And I'll lead you out of your own trap _

_And I'll show you how much _

_you have missed through the_

_Time we weren't right_

_So forgive me lover, _

_for I have sinned_

_For I have let you go._

_But you've been every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_Every now and then on my mind yeah_

_On my mind _

_On my mind_

_On my mind _

_On my mind_

_On my mind_

"Jude, I think ..." Karma couldn't believe it with her own eyes.

"What, Karma?" Jude practically screamed into the phone, unable to stand the suspense.

"Jude, he's crying. Tommy Q. is actually crying. I can't believe it."

Karma stared at Tommy through the window, as Jude's heart stopped. He still cared. She could still reach him in time. Or could she?

"Oh my god, what do we do? I can't take this!"

"Jude, breathe deep breaths. We are going to stick with the plan. I'll tell him to talk to Spied, he knows Spied will tell him the absolute truth. I gotta go, he's taking the headphones off. I will call you with updates!" Karma quickly closed her cell, picked up a cup of coffee, and headed into the studio as if nothing had occurred.

Tommy sat speechless, wiping his eyes. What should he do? What could he say? Karma breezed through the door, and he turned, eyes narrowing as he remembered who had "surprised" him with the CD.

Karma handed him the coffee, and stepped back, as if she feared he would throw it on her.

"Karma. I am going to ask you this one time, and I want no lies, no stories, the truth. Got it?"

Karma nodded, her eyes huge.

"Where did you get that CD?"

Karma looked at Tommy, eyes red, hair tousled in his usual imperfectly perfect way, and took a deep breath.

"Jude sent that song to me and Spied last night. She feels awful Tom, and this was the only way we could think of to get you to hear it."

"Call Spied, tell him to meet at the rehearsal space. We need to talk." Tommy raced out of the studio, and Karma breathed a sigh of relief.

***"I Have Loved You Wrong" by The Swell Season. Easily found on Youtube.**


	5. Chapter 4: The After

Tommy paced the floor of the rehearsal space, waiting for Spied impatiently. After Jude had left, Tommy had locked himself in there for close to a week, and Spied had been the one to reach out - he brought him any news he could of Jude and endless bags of take out. Not that Tommy could stomach much, but he appreciated the thought. Not even Sadie made it through the door, Tommy feared that one look at her eyes would send him into an even more miserable existence.

He heard the door handle turn, and Spied barreled through the door.

"Squinty Frown, you called?"

"You know exactly why I called Vincent, don't mess with me, I can't handle it."

Spied looked at the floor, and nodded.

"I know. Sorry we had to pull one over on you, but ... she was terrified you wouldn't listen Tommy, she needed you to hear her."

Tommy sank into the couch, his heart racing and his breathe short.

"What do I do? I had to let her go, right? And now ... what is she saying by this?"

Spied took a long time wandering around the room, trying to find the answers. He felt truly sorry for Tommy and Jude, for their relationship had never had the right timing, but he knew, as everyone else did, they would always end up back with each other.

"I think she's saying she's sorry. And that she misses you. And maybe this is her taking the first step back to you, if that's what you want."

* * *

><p>Tommy lay on his couch later that night, listening to Jude's song for the 100th time on repeat. He hadn't been able to sleep in his bed since she left, the memories of them together were too painful to bear.<p>

His mind was racing, trying to figure out what to do next. An email seemed too impersonal, a text message too easy to misinterpret. A phone call seemed terrifying, actually making his voice speak and sound words was too much.

His cell buzzed on the table for the 10th time that night, and looked over at it, hopeful, but it was just another old flame calling, now that he was "back on the market" so to speak. He was less on the market than ever before, he couldn't imagine being with anyone but Jude. He thought to change his number, but the thought that Jude might try to contact him and not have the new number was too much bear. He hadn't turned his cell off since she left, afraid he would miss a call or a text or a voicemail. Nothing came, but still he waited, hitting "Ignore" to all the phone calls from past flings.

The answer was so simple he actually smiled a bit when he realized how easy it was. There was only one answer to a song, and that was a song in return.

He had secretly been writing and recording since a few weeks after Jude left, needing an outlet for the built up emotions that were weighing on his chest. No one, not even Kwest, knew what he was working on. He had compiled over 20 songs, all about Jude, and was determined to keep them for only her ears. He hoped that someday in the future, they could lay on his bed together, push play, and listen to everything he didn't have the guts to say before.

He dragged himself into the spare room he had turned into a makeshift studio and opened his laptop. There was only one song that would work for this, the first one he'd written "After". That's how he defined his life now, "Before" Jude left, and after. He listened to the song nervously a few times, and decided to send it quickly before he changed his mind.


	6. Chapter 5: Hope

Jude was laying on her floor, the clock reading 4 am, a licorice whip between her teeth. She'd started with the licorice when she got to London, bawling for a good 10 minutes over a package in a candy store, allowing an older sales lady to comfort her. It was Tommy's thing, and it was small, but it was something to hold onto.

She had waited until midnight, hoping for a call, a text, an email, anything that would tell her he still cared. Spied had phoned her after his conversation with Tommy at the rehearsal space, and it was comforting, but she needed some sort of contact from him. So at midnight, she shut down her computer, put her phone on silent in a drawer, and turned on the TV. 4 hours later, the itch to check her email and phone was too much. She sprinted to her computer, and tapped the counter, waiting for it to start up, while she check her phone, but there were no messages.

Just as her eyes filled with tears and she started swear, her laptop pinged with its new email sound and she dropped her phone.

_From: Tom Quincy_

_To: Jude Harrison_

_Subject: I Miss You_

_Please just listen ..._

_Attached: 1 file_

Jude's hands were shaking so badly she had to click on the on the attachment several times before it opened. The file prompted iTunes, and she leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to take deep breaths so she wouldn't pass out before hearing the whole thing.

_Return To Me*_

_Slowly walking down the street_

_Where the homeless and the lovers meet_

_The bars glow blue, your skin does too_

_I saw the garland in the skyline, in the byline_

_I took a drink, I took the pills you'll murder me I know you will_

_Still I'm wishin' that I could change this_

_That you were hopin', I keep hopin'_

_For a cure for some medicine_

_Just one conversation_

_I can't return to you must return to me_

_That's the deal_

_I'm sorry, did I say I'm sorry?_

_I'm sorry_

_In a verse where all was flat_

_You hunker down and relive the past_

_You're leaving soon, it's 10 'til noon_

_I see a black car _

_I'm movin' through tar, when we're apart_

_I have been the worst of kind_

_A sorrowed heart and a cluttered mind_

_And I'm thinkin' that I could change this_

_That I could change this, but I can't change this_

_I can't return to you you must return to me_

_That's the deal_

_I'm sorry, did I say I'm sorry?_

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry now_

_Did I say I'm sorry_

_Did I say I miss you_

_I'll do what I have to do_

_I said I miss you, I miss you_

_I'll do what I have to do_

He missed her. He was reaching back out to her. What did it mean? What was next? She paced and paced until her feet hurt, and then looked at her watch, it was 5 am. She grabbed her phone and called Sadie.

"Hello?" Sadie said groggily.

"Sades its me, wait - where are you? What time is it there?"

"Jude don't you read any of the schedules I send you? I'm in Berlin! Its like ... 6 am here!" Sadie said, frustrated that Jude, per usual, had no concept of time.

"Sadie I'm sorry that I haven't memorized your billion page schedule, but I need your help! Please just wake up and listen to me!" Jude's desperation came through as her voice cracked, and Sadie propped a few pillows behind her.

"Jude what happened? You sound terrible! You aren't sleeping, are you? I told you to get some sleeping pills or something!"

Jude ignored the last part, and told Sadie about Tommy and herself exchanging songs. Sadie nearly fell off the bed in her shock.

"What? How could I not know about this? Are you getting back together? Oh my god!"

"Sades, you've been on World Instant Star duty for months, I can barely get a reply to my emails half the time! I had to do something, so I did, and now he's replied with a song and I feel faint."

Sadie sighed and knew it was only a matter of time. She knew, probably better than most other people, that Jude and Tommy were destined, they just needed to find the right moment.

"Jude, let the song set in, digest what he said, and take it from there. You need time to mull this over, and I know you'll analyze every lyric to death, but don't drive yourself nuts. And eat something for cripe's sake."

Jude agreed to eat breakfast, and Sadie agreed to call her back later that day. Jude popped some toast in the toaster, and listened to the song again. She couldn't help the smile that started to tug at the corners of her mouth. He cared. He cared!

***"Return To Me" by Matthew Ryan. Youtube.**


	7. Chapter 6: Truth

Jamie and Zeppelin were in Nana's kitchen brewing tea when Spied came flying through the door.

"I know, I know, I'm late, sorry Jamers. Hey Zep!" he said, panting against the counter, trying to catch his breath.

"Let's just get started, Wally and Kyle are here to track the new song, ok?"

Spied nodded and followed the two down into the basement, nearly tripping over Nana's endless pile of yarn near the door.

They settled in with Kyle in the booth working on drum tracks, and Jamie spun his chair towards Spied, taking a sip of his tea.

"Heard from Jude lately?"

"What? No, definitely not, not since last week, nope, nothing." Spied sputtered, not wanting to talk to Jamie about anything relating to Jude and Tommy.

Jamie looked at him inquisitively, and shook his head.

"You're lying Spied, what's going on? Is she alright?"

"Well ... lets just say, her heart is still in Toronto."

Jamie put his cup down and shook his head. Zep observed the gravity of the moment, and made herself busy on the other side of the basement and began to organize the mess of cords.

Waiting to make sure Zeppelin was out of earshot, Jamie whispered, "What, is she crazy? They're doing this crap again? Doesn't she see its not going to work?"

Spied knew he didn't want to admit it, but Jamie was still in love with Jude, and on some level, would always be.

"Jamie, you know just as much as anyone else that these two are drawn back to each other every time. Instead of telling Jude that she's wrong, we have to help her in any way we can. She's miserable across the pond - when I went to visit ... let's just say that being away from here is not what she expected. She needs to come home, and she needs Tommy. I know you can't stand him, but you have to admit, he's been practically a monk since she left, he's either working or at home, doesn't go out at all, ignores all his crazy admirers. You've got to at least give him credit for that."

Jamie nodded to acknowledge the facts, and sat back in his chair.

"So what's' happened between them?"

"All I can say is that they've been in touch, in the only way they can be."

"She sent him a song, makes sense. What do we do?"

"We help her when she calls Jamers, that's all we can do."


	8. Chapter 7: Secret

Kwest knocked on Tommy's door, balancing a twelve pack against the wall. Tommy opened the door, and grabbed the beer from Kwest, who made his way into the dimly lit apartment.

"Figure you could use a beer or two, man, but maybe you need some light bulbs?" Kwest asked, pointing to the ceiling.

Tommy didn't answer, just uncapped a beer for each, and they both sat down on the couch.

"Heard from Sadie at all?"

Kwest shook his head. "Not since she left for that World Instant Star tour, to say she was sorry, or whatever. I'm too focused on work to deal."

"How's the freelance going?"

"You know, late nights, diva wanna be's, but its going ok, enough to pay the bills and save a bit. And with no girlfriend, my bills are significantly less, especially without Sadie's shopping sprees."

They both laughed at the thought and stared at the muted TV.

"I know that Sadie and I were never, you know, supposed to be like - "Kwest cut himself off, looking guiltily at Tommy, who closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the sofa.

"Like me and Jude." It hurt to say it.

They watched TV for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts, cracking open another bottle and drinking together in silence.

"I heard from her."

"WHAT? I've been for like, an hour, and you just tell me this NOW?" Kwest yelled, his eyes open wide.

"She sent me a song. It was so ... Jude of her to do that." Tommy smiled to himself.

"And, what did you do? Did you call, write? Please tell me you did something."

"I sent her one back, a song."

"Wait, you mean - have you been recording this whole time?"

Tommy nodded and Kwest fell back against the cushion. For years Tommy had talked of returning to his solo career, but it never seemed to work out.

"Are these songs ever going to see the light of day? You always wanted to record solo ..."

Tommy shook his head, looking down at his hands.

"They're for Jude."


	9. Chapter 8: The Past

Jude walked into the studio, sunglasses on and hood up. She was so deep thought about Tommy, she had nearly tripped every block on the way over. _Do I reply with an email? I can't call him, not yet. Another song? _She nearly ran straight into Brittany, the receptionist.

"Oh Jude, good timing. There's a girl here who says she knows you from Toronto."

Jude's head shot up, memories of the night locked in her basement with psycho Megan flooding in, and her hands started to shake.

"No worries, I had her checked out by security, she's legit. Name's Kat?"

Jude looked up and took off her sunglasses quickly.

"Short, curly hair?"

Brittany nodded.

"She's in the lounge with Colin."

Jude power walked to the lounge, suddenly excited. She hadn't seen Kat in over a year and a half, they had barely spoken since.

"Oh Jude, there you are. I was just talking to your lovely friend Kat here. Why don't you take the day off, enjoy the good weather, and come in tomorrow, ok?"

Jude nodded and smiled shyly at Kat, who smiled back.

They sat in a coffee shop not far from the studio, Jude inhaling espresso, and Kat sipping on tea.

"Slow down Jude, you're going to put yourself in a caffeine coma!"

"Sorry, I ... I've had a hard time sleeping since I moved over here, caffeine is the only way I can get through each day."

Kat nodded knowingly and looked down.

"Jude I'm so sorry I didn't reach out after the basement thing, I just ... I mean, I had been following everything about it in the paper, and I didn't want to seem like another crazy trying to latch on to you."

"Kat, I could never think that. I understand that you had to work through some things, and that's ok. I'm just glad you came to see me! What's brought you to London?"

"Fashion school, actually. Shocking, right?"

They both laughed and reminisced over Kat's many creations over the years.

"So, I've got to ask, if I can - how are you doing about the whole Tommy thing?"

Jude looked down, swirling her spoon in what remained in her cup.

"When I left ... I thought that I needed space. But, now, I don't know what I wanted. I think I just felt so much pressure, leaving G Major, signing a new contract so quickly, Tommy's proposal was so out of nowhere. I can't believe I left him. I can't believe it."

She felt the tears well up and Kat grabbed her hand.

"Jude, you did what you thought you had to do at the time, and it's not surprising. You had experienced such a traumatic event with that crazy Megan, and if anything, that probably pushed you to find a new space to start over. But Tommy, I'm sure he understood."

"How do you know?"

"From the moment I first saw you guys together, I knew it would happen one day. Everyone knew Jude. Maybe it was really just timing, so many things going wrong and new opportunities coming at a time when you had to make a huge decision. Tommy loves you Jude, I know he does."

Jude wiped her eyes and tried to smile. Kat squeezed her hand, and looked around towards the back.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom, ok? Then let's do some crazy shopping and get your mind off Little Tommy Q!"

Kat locked the door of the bathroom, and pulled out her phone. She opened a new text message, and typed. _"She's hanging on, but not by much. She needs you. She still loves you. Kat._"

Kat and Jude fell through her front door, laughing as they landed on top of their many, many shopping bags.

"Jude, I think you bought that entire store back there!" Kat said, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, they had good stuff! What can I say? I haven't done much perusing of the London fashion scene."

* * *

><p>They piled up their things against the wall, and took a seat at a small table in front of her window. Jude looked down at her star ring, spinning it absentmindedly. The make shift twisty ring Tommy had proposed to her with was locked up inside her guitar case, a reminder of her happiness, and their pain.<p>

"So what's next Jude, with Tommy? What's your next move?" Kat asked, watching Jude's attention drift into memories.

"I don't know. I don't know if he'd read an email or answer the phone, I don't even know if I could speak if he answered. The only way I know how to get through to him right now is with music. Do I send another song?"

"Only you can know what's right Jude, but I do know that you always said he was the person who understood you most, who got your music the most. Maybe its the most honest way you two can communicate right, ya know? Its your strongest connection."

Jude nodded and peered out the window, mentally running through her catalogue of songs. She had written about nothing but Tommy since she'd left, and there was a lot to choose from.


	10. Chapter 9: Alone Apart

Tommy was restless on his couch, adjusting pillows and tapping his fingers impatiently. Sleep clearly wouldn't be making much of an appearance this evening, he thought. Sighing, his mind drifted to Jude, knowing he would only sleep through the night again when was back in his arms. The thought brought on a sharp pain in his chest, as if he could feel his heart actually breaking, like it did every day. It was 3 am in London, but he hit refresh on his email once again, heart pounding. And there it was, a reply.

_To: Tom Quincy_

_From: Jude Harrison_

_Subject: RE: I Miss You_

_I miss you, too._

_Attached: 1 file_

Tommy clicked the file open, and could barely breathe while he waited for it to start.

_Two Is Better Than One*_

_I remember what you wore on the first day_

_You came into my life and I thought hey_

_you know, this could be something_

_'Cause everything you do and words you say_

_You know that it all takes my breath away_

_And now I'm left with nothing_

_So maybe it's true that I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life_

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking two is better than one_

_I remember every look upon your face_

_The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste_

_You make it hard for breathing_

_'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_

_I think of you and everything's okay_

_I'm finally now believing_

_That maybe it's true that I can't live without you_

_And maybe two is better than one_

_But there's so much time to figure out the rest of my life_

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking two is better than one_

_Yeah, yeah_

_I remember what you wore on the first day_

_You came into my life and I thought, hey_

_Maybe it's true that I can't live without you_

_Maybe two is better than one_

_There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life_

_And you've already got me coming undone_

_And I'm thinking I can't live without you_

_'Cause, baby, two is better than one_

_There's so much time to figure out the rest of my life_

_But I figured out with all that's said and done_

_Two is better than one, two is better than one _

He hit repeat, as he did with the first song she'd sent, and lay back on the couch, analyzing every lyric, every note, every catch in her voice. It was clear she had recorded it outside of the studio, perhaps at her apartment, and every emotion came through. He pictured her, sweatshirt and jeans, no shoes, biting her lip as she began to play. Hair falling in her eyes, tears streaking her face.

Tommy longed to see her, to be near her, to hold her hand. He missed her soft hair against his face, and the feeling he got when he wrapped her in his arms in the cold. He could never love anyone the way he loved Jude.

He realized that he couldn't ever live a full life without her, that everything from a trip to the store to working in the studio would be shades of gray without her by him. It was time to respond, and he wasn't going to wait. It had to happen now.

He quickly scrolled through the folder containing his latest recordings, looking for the newest song he worked on.

***"Two Is Better Than One" by Boys Like Girls Featuring Taylor Swift. Youtube it.**

****Chapter title inspired by The Swell Season song "Alone Apart."**


	11. Chapter 10: Sleep

Jude avoided all mirrors as she made her way to the bathroom, knowing her face was streaked with mascara and tears. Recording the song had taken all her strength, and clearly disproved that her mascara was waterproof. She leaned against the sink, pulling her hair up out of her face, and turned the water on. And then she heard the unmistakable ping of her email program.

Dropping the towel and leaving the water running, she sprinted out of the bathroom and back towards her computer.

_To: Jude Harrison_

_From: Tom Quincy_

_Subject: RE: RE: I Miss You_

_It's late there; try to get some sleep girl. Wish you were here ..._

_Attachment: 1 file_

She propped her pillow underneath her head, and pushed play. She was sound asleep by the third time the song repeated.

_Somehow*_

_Saw your breathe on the window_

_Saw the palm of your hand on the glass_

_Watch the plane leave the terminal_

_And never come back_

_And now I'm tracing my memory_

_For anything you may have left where we'd been_

_Any excuse I can use to see you again_

_And all the things that I know that I should've said_

_Well I think I'm ready to tell you them now_

_And don't be afraid if you don't understand_

_Cause I think we'll make somehow_

_I want to wake up in the morning_

_To a day where I know there's nothing to prove_

_And I wanna hear you say that you miss me_

_Like I miss you_

_And I can't pretend that I'm happy_

_When you're miles away and you're not coming home_

_And I just need someone to tell me I'm not alone_

_And all the things that you know that you should've said_

_Well maybe its time for you to tell me them now _

_And don't be afraid I'm sure I'll feel the same_

_If you think we'll make it somehow_

_This life is filled with uncertainties_

_Well don't hesitate when it comes down to me_

_And don't let it end before it's begun_

_Cause tough love is better than none_

_Tough love is better than none_

_And all the things I know that I should've said_

_Well I feel much better that I've told you them now_

_And don't be afraid if you don't understand_

_Cause I think we'll make somehow_

* * *

><p>Jude woke up 7 hours later, her phone vibrating itself off of the nightstand by her bed. She groaned and rolled over, nearly off the bed to reach the cell.<p>

"Hello?"

"Jude, its Colin. Did I wake you?"

"Sort of ... wait, what time is it? I am supposed to be in the studio?" She sat straight up, looking for her watch.

Colin chuckled and replied, "Its just past 11:30 in the morning Jude, no sessions till this evening. I was calling because I've got a friend here who would like to see you - can you come by in an hour or so?"

Jude mumbled yes, and dragged herself into the bathroom, horrified by her now even more black streaked face.

Get a hold of yourself Jude, take a shower, get a coffee, go to Colin's.

***"Somehow" by Trey Lockerbie. Pretty obscure song, its not on Youtube, his website, or his MySpace page. Its straight piano and vocals. If you can't go on without hearing it, message me, and I'll send it over.**


	12. Chapter 11: Surprise

45 minutes later, she was knocking on Colin's door, with a very large to go coffee cup in her hands, sunglasses blocking her tired eyes.

"Jude dear! Come on in! Have you eaten anything today?" Kim said gaily, motioning for Jude to come through the door.

Jude shook her head, and Kim scurried into the kitchen to whip up some lunch.

"Colin? I'm here - where are you?"

She wandered into the living room and nearly dropped her coffee.

"PAGAN? Oh my god! I am such a mess! Colin, why didn't you tell me who it was?" She screeched, yanking off her sunglasses.

Colin laughed and Pagan crossed the room to give Jude a hug.

"Jude sweetheart, I've known Colin for years. When he told me he was producing you, I told him to ring you right away. I haven't seen you since I left for tour!"

They settled into chairs, and Kim came running in with sandwiches and handed the biggest to Jude. Colin shook his head, and grabbed a plate for himself.

"Colin's filled me in a bit on the Tommy situation, I hope you don't mind. The last he knew, Tommy had replied to your song with one of his own. What's happened since?"

Jude filled them in on the events from the night before, and found that she was actually starving, practically inhaling the sandwich in her lap.

"I just ... I wasn't expecting the first reply, and to have the second so quickly after I sent him the last song, I just ... I have to figure out what to do next. We can't go on for the rest of our lives trading songs over email. What do I do?"

Pagan and Colin looked at each other, and back at Jude. Then they all looked Kim, who started to speak.

"Maybe its time to go home Jude, to Toronto, and see him in person. It would be a gesture I'm sure he would appreciate."

"Again! My wife with the brilliant plan!" Colin yelled, and Kim beamed.

"You don't think that's too much, just popping in?"

"Your whole life is there Jude, use it as a time to see your family, visit Spiederman and the other guys, James, Kwest. You'll find the right moment to see him Jude, you will."

Jude smiled at Pagan, and knew he was right. It was time to go back, and hopefully fix what she had damaged.


	13. Chapter 12: Return

Jude shifted nervously in her chair; Colin tapped on the table in front of them.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! Traffic was quite difficult this morning." Nicola said, bursting through the door with her umbrella and bag.

She settled in behind her desk, and looked over at Jude expectantly.

"So Jude, what can I do for you?"

"Well ..." Jude said, looking towards Colin for encouragement, "I was hoping I could take a few weeks off, go home, recharge. Take a bit of a break before heading into the last recording stage."

"Colin, any problem with that?"

"Not at all. Jude and I have been working really hard the past few months, and we are ahead of schedule, so I think its a good time for her to relax and get ready to finish up the record."

Colin winked at Jude discretely, making Jude laugh.

"Well Jude, you've done incredible work so far, I have no problem with this either. Lets get you down to see Margie to arrange travel."

Jude thanked Nicola, and stood up, turning towards the door, excitement and nerves building inside.

"Oh, and Jude? I say this as a friend, and your rep - you may want to touch up your color before you see the infamous Tom Quincy." Nicola smiled, and Jude touched her head.

She had dyed it back to red the first month she was in London, as an attempt to return to her former self, or something like that. More it reminded her of when she had first met Tommy, and what that had meant to her.

* * *

><p>Jude waited until all the other passengers were off the plane before exiting. She wasn't expecting much of a crowd, Nicola had seen to high security at Heathrow, but no one was expecting her to be in Toronto. She had called Big Lou to pick her up, still wary of Megan-like crazies. Still, she pulled her hood up over her freshly dyed, dark red hair, and put sunglasses on. All she needed was word to get out that she was back, and one tabloid photo could totally throw her plan off. Not that she knew exactly what she was going to do about Tommy, but the element of surprise was always helpful. She'd only told Sadie she'd be back, not even Spied or Jamie knew. She needed time to sit for a moment and take a breath, to think about her next move.<p>

"Blonde Eagle has landed." Big Lou said, grinning as he gave her a bear hug, and directed her towards baggage pick up.

"More like Red Eagle, but still the same girl. Thanks for this Big Lou, I'm not ready for certain people to know I'm back yet..."

They loaded Jude's exploding suitcase into the back of his car. Jude had refused any sort of car service; she wanted to fly as much under the radar as possible.

"So where are we heading, Red?"

"Home, Lou. Take me home."

Jude was standing in her bedroom a half hour later, touching knick-knacks and old jewelry on her dresser. Sadie had promised to keep it the same, and it was, just cleaner. Her eyes landed on a picture of her and Tommy, taken at Spied's wedding, and she practiced breathing slowly, as Pagan had taught her the other day, to combat the tears. They were so happy in the picture - it was a candid, taken without them noticing. They were dancing, and the look on Tommy's face was burned into Jude's mind for eternity.


	14. Chapter 13: Afraid

"Jude? Jude! I'm home!" Sadie yelled, flying through the front door, balancing her purse and a large stack of files.

Jude raised her arm up from the couch, signaling Sadie silently.

"Jude, what are you doing?" Sadie asked suspiciously, standing at the edge of the couch, hand on her hip. Jude was lying down; arms crossed and staring at the ceiling.

"Contemplating life. Thinking about Tommy. Trying to figure out a way to see him face to face without passing out." Jude replied, dangling her arm off the side.

Sadie took in the black clothes, heavy black eyeliner, and general downer mood that Jude was in.

"I thought you were excited to come back? You look like you're at your own funeral Jude, seriously."

Sadie sat down next to Jude, propping Jude's feet in her lap.

"I was. Until I realized I would actually have to find a way to see him. I mean, trading songs back and forth is one thing, but actual, in person, meeting up and having to speak? It's totally terrifying. I feel ill."

"You always did have a flair for the dramatic, little sister. Does anyone else even know you're back? Why don't you have Spied come over, cheer you up. Tell him to bring some pizza, you look thin. And I'm starving."

Jude felt on the floor for her phone, not giving any energy to actually turning her head to look for it. She scrolled to Spied's number, and hit Send.

"Dude!"

"Spied! Hey look, top secret but ... I'm back in town!"

"No way! I'm coming over. Is it cool if Karm comes too?"

Jude forced herself not to roll her eyes.

"Sure. But you have to bring pizza. Sadie's demand."

Spied was at her door 30 minutes later, pizza in one hand, Karma's bag in the other.

"Nice purse Spied." Jude said, letting both of them, watching as Karma pranced into the house. She shook her head, grabbing the pizza boxes from Spied, and sat on the living room floor.

"Spiedy is such a gentleman." Karma said, her voice drilling into Jude's head. _Be nice Jude, she has helped you out a lot._

"So, I assume you're back for Tommy?" Karma asked, gingerly placing a slice of pizza on one of the plates Sadie had brought out.

"Yea ... if I only knew what to do next."

"He seems like he really wants to see you Jude, I don't think he would mind if you gave him a call. He's been actually smiling at the studio the past few days, and wearing color. Unlike you." Karma said, eyeing Jude's outfit, and shaking her head.

Spied shot Karma a look and turned towards Jude.

"Whatever you need me to do Jude, I'm there. Just say the word."

Sadie settled in the chair next to Jude, already on her second slice.

"Jude, you've got to just be honest with him, ya know? In my opinion he looks like he might be ready to try again, or at least hear you out, so what harm can it do? At least then you know that you did everything you could."

Jude looked down at the carpet, biting her lip.

"But that's what I'm afraid of, that doing everything I could've done won't be enough. That he won't want anything more than an apology and a goodbye."


	15. Chapter 14: A Familiar Look

Tommy paced back and forth, checking his watch. Spied was 20 minutes late, and while he didn't expect total punctuality from the guy, he wasn't used to waiting either. He called Spied again.

"Spiederman, where the hell are you? Call me back. I've got to be down at the studio in an hour. "

He wandered towards the back of the rehearsal space to get a bottle of water from the fridge, turning when he heard the door opening.

"Dude, I've been waiting –"

Tommy stopped in his tracks. Jude looked up from the doorway and dropped her bag and her coffee on the floor. Both stared at the other, unsure of what to say.

"I was supposed to meet Spied here …" Jude said, her voice wavering.

Tommy walked over, slowly, still not believing she was in front of him, so close he could touch her. He reached down, and set the coffee cup to the side, picking up her bag before it got wet.

"Here ya go Ms. Harrison." He said, his voice low, and his eyes looking up into hers.

Jude took her bag, speechless, the eye contact too much to bear, his little grin pulling at her heart. She could hear his shallow breath, glad that she wasn't the only one having trouble breathing.

"Thanks." She replied, barely getting the word out. He stood up straight, looking down at her, his hand reaching towards her hip, and then falling to his side. He backtracked towards a chair, and sat, suddenly unable to feel anything in his legs.

"I guess Spied set us up … leave to him." She said, laughing nervously, following Tommy's cue and taking a chair opposite him. Jude stared down at her hands, berating herself for not seeing through Spied's plan earlier.

Tommy glanced sideways at her, watching her bright red hair fall across her face, saw her hands shaking, and she looked up at him.

"I am so sorry Tommy. I still can't believe I left, and left the way I did. It wasn't right."

"I know why you did it Jude, I don't hate you for it. You and I … we've always been so in sync, I forget that you're just 18. You have wants and needs that might be different from mine. You needed to leave on your own, and you did."

Jude's eyes welled up with tears, and they spilled over, running down her cheeks.

"I regretted it as soon as I was on the plane. I thought … I thought I needed to be alone, to handle a new life by myself. And I realized I didn't want to be alone at all. I didn't want to be away from you. That I don't want to be away from you."

Tommy looked at her, his girl, back where she belonged. He longed to take her hand, but hesitated, not sure if he should move so swiftly.

"Jude – your songs? Did you truly mean what they said?"

She looked straight at him, her blue eyes tearing through his soul, and replied.

"Every word. Every single word."


	16. Chapter 15: Apologies

Tommy wasn't sure how long they had sat in silence, staring at each other, both afraid to say something more. He caught a glance at the clock behind Jude, and he sighed.

"Jude, I really hate to do this, but I have to get to the studio, I'm already late. I'm sorry."

Jude nodded and said, "What do we do from here? I mean … what step to take next?"

Tommy watched her eyes well up again and couldn't take the thought of her crying anymore today.

"I think we need to take it one step at a time – just be open and honest with each other. Why don't you come by my place tonight, say around 7? We can do take out, talk, catch you up on your Canadian TV."

They smiled at each other, and Jude nodded again.

"Do you know where Spied is supposed to be this afternoon?"

"I think he's got a session at NBR."

Jude drove home carefully, her mind running in a million directions. _Definitely need to shower before heading to Tommy's tonight._ She caught a glance of her tired eyes in the mirror. _And take a nap._

She pulled into her driveway, and saw Spied walking down the street.

"Vincent Spiederman," Jude yelled, "Get your ass over here, now!"

Spied thought about dive-bombing into a bush, but it was too late. Jude stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

"Hey dudes, what's up? Where you been?" Spied said meekly.

"You know exactly where I've been!" Jude replied, punching Spied in the arm.

"Ow! Ok, ok, so I tricked you guys, but it worked didn't it?"

Jude nodded finally, still annoyed.

"You could've warned me Vin, I could've at least looked better!"

"Jude, you look fine, and you know it was best that your guard was down."

"Fine Spied, you win. Ok? Thank you for setting me up." Jude replied, laughing.

"You gonna come in and say hi to Jamie?"

"I …" Jude hesitated.

"He misses you Jude, and no matter what reason you are really home for, you live next door, you can't hide for long. He will always be your friend."

"Yea, you're right. Come on."

"Spied, there you are! Can you ever – Jude?"

Jamie stood up as he saw Spied and a head of red hair walk down the stairs.

Jamie grabbed Jude, picking her up in a huge hug. Jude laughed, and looked up at him.

"Good to see you Jamie!"

"When did you get back? I thought you were still recording?"

"I got back yesterday, I'm just taking a few weeks off to relax, see my friends, my family."

"See Tommy."

Jude looked up at Jamie, his face scrunched up in distaste.

"Yea, Jamie. See Tommy. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but we're talking and for right now, that's what's right."

Jamie shook his head, and Jude looked to Spied for help.

"Jamers look … we talked about this. You knew it was going to happen at some point."

Jamie nodded and looked sadly at Jude, who still felt guilty for breaking his heart.

"I'm sorry Jamie. It's always going to be Tommy. It just is."


	17. Chapter 16: Belonging

Jude stood at Tommy's door, shifting from one foot to the other nervously. Sadie had nearly had a fit when she caught Jude before she left, wearing all black again. She managed to convince Jude to wear something with color, a blue shirt that Jude knew Tommy loved.

Not much could be done about her tired eyes, she had tried to sleep after seeing Jamie, but his angry face kept coming into her mind. She wasn't sure if that friendship could ever really be repaired.

The door opened, and Tommy looked down at her, smiling. She smiled back, and he turned to the side to let her in.

"Um Tommy? Did you forget to pay your electric bill?" Jude joked, noting the dim light in the living room.

Tommy laughed and replied, "Kwest mentioned that the other night. I keep forgetting to change the bulbs."

Jude took in her surroundings, not much had changed since the last morning she had been there, besides the lack of working bulbs. Tommy had always been a little bit of a neat freak, and she was surprised to see a stack of mail strewn across a side table and a jacket thrown over the back of a chair.

Tommy was in the kitchen, pulling out plates.

"I got Thai from your favorite place, that ok?"

"Of course! I have missed that place. Everyone at the studio in London lives on Indian, it makes me gag." She forced a laugh, not sure if she should've mentioned the reason she left in the first place.

He nodded in reply and shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't beat coming home, ya know? Favorite food, own bed. I'm sure Sadie is glad to have you back for a bit."

"Yea definitely. I barely saw her when she was over in England for World Instant Star, Darius has been working her too hard. I don't know how she does it."

Jude picked up the silverware and followed Tommy over to the couch. They sat down next to each other, and he handed her a plate. The food was pushed into triangles so that it didn't touch, the way she liked it. She was touched that he had remembered, and looked at him from behind her hair. He was intently pouring chile sauce on his own plate, and she shook her head. The guy had an iron stomach when it came to spicy food.

"So how are things at G Major?"

Tommy finished swallowing his food, turning towards her.

"Oh you know, the same as always. Darius cracking the whip, Karma driving me into the aspirin bottle every day. Weird without Kwest there. And without you." The last part was said so quietly, Jude wasn't sure she was meant to hear it.

They ate in silence, watching the TV flicker in front of them. Jude was surprised at hungry she was and got up to get seconds. She went the long way around to the kitchen, passing Tommy's bedroom. Her heart fluttered, and she saw that the door was partially open. The bed was made like it hadn't been slept in in weeks and there was a folded blanket and pillow at the foot of the bed. She hurried into the kitchen, not wanting Tommy to catch her looking.

She had just put her plate down to spoon out more rice, when she felt him behind her. His breath was on her neck, and her heart was pounding. He put his hands on her hips, turning her towards him. The look in his eyes burned through her soul, his fingers hot through her shirt.

Tommy needed to touch her, to hold her; it had been too long. It was agony to sit next to her and feel the weight of the tension between them. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, breathing faint. He put his arms around her, bringing her as close to him as he possibly could. She wrapped her arms around his back, and he pulled her head to his chest, his hand tangled in her hair.

They stood like that for a long time, Tommy leaning against the counter for support, his knees weak. There weren't any words he could say; he just wanted to hold her in his arms forever.

Jude closed her eyes, feeling more relaxed than she had since she left. She knew they belonged.


	18. Chapter 17: Broken

Tommy walked Jude to her car, not wanting her to leave. Jude gripped his hand tightly, afraid to let go. They stood next to the Mustang, embracing once again.

"I'll call you tomorrow, ok? I have the afternoon free if you want to do something."

"Sure," Jude replied, looking up at him, "that sounds good. Maybe take out those bikes in my garage …"

"Done. I'll give you a call when I'm done at the studio."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close. Jude was sure he was going to kiss her, but at the last second, his lips pressed against her cheek, and she was both happy and disappointed in the same moment.

"Night Harrison. Drive safe. Text me when you're home."

Jude smiled the entire way back to her house, singing along to the radio and tapping in time on the steering wheel. Her and Tommy were getting back on the right track; she could feel it. _Only a matter of time_, she thought, _I just have to show him I'm serious about getting back together._

She pulled into her driveway, radio still blaring, not noticing Jamie sitting on her steps. Jude hummed to herself as she approached the door, jumping back when she saw someone sitting there.

"Jamie! Jeez, way to freak out a girl who recently was held against her will in a basement. Good God." Jude screamed, grabbing at her chest.

"Sorry Jude, I didn't mean to scare you, but you had your radio pretty loud. Where were you coming from anyways?"

Jude started to speak but Jamie cut her off.

"It's written all over your face – you were with Tommy, weren't you?"

"God Jamie, what is your problem? You practically gave your blessing to him proposing, if I heard right, and now you're all against it? What is your deal?"

Jude stood with her hand on her hip, eyes seething. Jamie leaned back reflexively; her glare was painful.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again Jude! I don't want you to give up on your music in London to come back here and live his life! You need to have your own!"

Jude stared at Jamie in disbelief.

"I wouldn't have gotten the London offer WITHOUT Tommy! He is part of me! Part of my music! He makes me better than I ever thought I could be, even when he's not there to help!"

Jamie stood, shaking his head. He stepped towards her, but she stepped back, her eyes glistening with tears now.

"I'll never get what you see in him Jude, never."

"You're jealous Jamie. You're jealous that you and I never worked out, and I'm sorry about that, but you know that it is always going to be Tommy. You have to get over it! You moved on! You have Zeppelin, you have NBR!"

"So you just came back to get your heart broken then? You know he'll hurt you again."

"I broke HIS heart! That's why I came back! I walked away from him because I was scared that he meant so much to me, but I realized that I can't live without him. Even if it means losing you as a friend. That's the last thing I want, but it's your choice. Either deal with it, or don't call me."

Jude stalked into her house, and Jamie turned towards his, fists clenched. Zeppelin stood by a second floor window, overhearing the whole conversation.


	19. Chapter 18: Never Let Go

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hope everyone following the story is enjoying it! Thanks to emackenzie for the encouraging reviews. Trying my best to do daily updates until I reach the end!**

* * *

><p>Jude and Tommy pulled their bikes over at a park near the lake, walking towards the water. They sat at the edge, pulling out water bottles.<p>

"I haven't been here since Patsy's wake. I still can't believe she's gone."

Tommy nodded, looking at Jude through his sunglasses.

"It was a hard time for you, for all of us. Do you remember what you said to me, that day in the church when we were scouting recording locations? You told me life's short, if you want a happy one, you've got to grab it. I don't want to lose us, to lose this, ever."

Jude nodded in agreement, picking at the sand under her feet.

"Tommy? Those songs you recorded ... they were really, really amazing. And not just because they were for me, but because you are a great songwriter. Has anyone else heard them?"

"No, not even Kwest. I recorded them at home, after ... well, you know. I needed to get those feelings out, to put them somewhere, for you to hear, whether it was now or a year from now. I needed to remember how I felt when you left."

Jude put her hand on his arm, feeling terrible about bringing it up.

"I'm sorry Tommy, I shouldn't have mentioned it. I don't want to make you upset."

"We have to talk about it sometime Jude, you know that, for this to work out long term. And I guess maybe the time is now."

Tommy stared out across the water, feeling Jude's grip on his arm, holding him in the present. _You have to tell her, it's the only way you won't resent her later._

"When you left ... and I understood why, but when you left, I didn't leave your rehearsal space for a week. It was the hardest week of my life, coming to terms with why and how you ended things, and it hit me, somewhere through a drunken haze, that what I was feeling was how you must've felt when you left New Brunswick. And that made me feel even worse, to know that you felt the searing chest pain, the aching in your heart. And then on the last morning I stayed there, I thought I heard your voice. I was hung over, and half asleep, lying on that couch from Kyle's basement, and I swear you were kneeling next to me, telling me to wake up. And I realized, that for you to come back to me, and for it to last, I had to let you go. Because I knew that I couldn't be without you, but you didn't know if you could live without me."

His voice shook, and Jude saw tears trickle down his face, below his sunglasses. He started to turn away, to hide it, but she put her arms around him as tightly as she could. Tommy leaned back into her, letting all of his emotions finally release, while Jude whispered softly in his ear.

"I'm here, Quincy, and I'm never letting go. I love you."


	20. Chapter 19: If Life Is So Short

**Author's Note: Big thanks to all who have read thus far ... I really like the way this chapter turned out. In response to a review - I tend to write things in "scenes" which is why the chapters are so short!**

* * *

><p>Jude flopped down on the couch, exhausted from their motorcycle ride. Tommy sat at the other end, putting her feet in his lap.<p>

"I'm surprised Sadie hasn't redecorated the whole place, looks the same as the last time I was here."

"She says she's too busy with World Instant Star and being Darius' assistant. I don't know how she finds the time to deal with his big ego in her schedule."

Tommy laughed, replying "I barely see at G Major when she's there, it's like he's given her endless list of things to get done. I feel bad for her though; he doesn't give her the space she deserves. She could do some really great stuff with the label, and he's got her so focused on World Instant Star, neither of them can see anything else."

Jude nodded in reply, leaning her head against a throw pillow.

"And you? Has Darius got you going crazy?"

"Crazy enough. But it's been good for me, to work so much, I needed the distraction."

Jude looked down, once again mentally smacking herself for bringing up anything regarding the past 4 months. Tommy put his hand against her face, and gently forced her head up.

"Hey, I know you feel bad, but it happened, and there's nothing we can do to take any of it back. We've both made mistakes and wish we'd said and done things differently, but all we can do is take things forward from here, ok?"

Jude nodded, and looked towards the floor, unsure of what to say. Tommy looked over at her, a plan forming in his mind.

"Hey, can I play you something I've been working on? Talking about that trip to the church, and Patsy, reminded me of it."

"Sure, my guitar is in the hall."

Tommy picked up her acoustic and brought it back to the couch. "I hope you like it..." He said nervously. _Just play Quincy; it's all the things you need to say._

_If Life is So Short*_

_Isn't it funny how time seems to slip away so fast _

_One minute you're happy, the other you're sad _

_But if you give me one more chance _

_To show my love for you is true I'll stand by your side your whole life through _

_If life is so short _

_Why don't you let me love you _

_Before we run out of time If love is so strong _

_Why won't you take the chance _

_Before our time has gone _

_If life is so short, if life is so short _

_Love is a word that explains how I feel for you _

_And when you're in my arms, all my dreams come true _

_And when you're not around _

_You can't hardly see _

_These tears that I'm crying now are for you to be with me _

_If life is so short _

_Why don't you let me love you _

_Before we run out of time If love is so strong _

_Why won't you take the chance _

_Before our time has gone _

_If life is so short, if life is so short _

Jude felt her heart constricting, her eyes directed downwards, unable to look him in the eye. She felt him shift towards her, putting the guitar on the floor, and he carefully put her head back against the armrest. She had no other choice to look at him above her, and he was so close to her that she stopped breathing for a moment. Tommy looked into her eyes, and saw that she was scared, and sad, but mostly, lonely.

"I like your hair like this, red," he said, whispering into her ear, "it reminds me of when I kissed you at your birthday." Tommy grazed his lips against her neck, feeling her pulse quicken. Jude put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. Their lips met, and all of the tension that had been between them the past few days melted away.

* * *

><p>Jamie stood in the darkness from across the street, watching through the window as Tommy sang to Jude, turning away when things got more intimate.<p>

"Jamie, what are you doing?"

He spun around guiltily to find Zeppelin standing next to him.

"Are you - Wait, are you watching Jude and Tommy?" She shrieked.

Jamie just stood there, unable to deny what he had been doing.

"You need to let this go Jamie, you're going to lose her permanently as a friend, and you're losing me. When you've returned to sanity, call me." Zeppelin said angrily, turning on her heel and walking quickly in the other direction.

* * *

><p><strong>*"If Life Is So Short" by The Moffatts. Easily found on YouTube.<strong>


	21. Chapter 20: Morning

Tommy woke up, eyes squinting against the sun streaming through the window. He wasn't sure where he was for a moment, eyes widening when he caught the familiar site of Jude's curtains. Feeling a weight on his chest, he looked down, realizing that Jude was half on top of him, still asleep. He tightened his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. _If this is a dream, please God, don't let it ever end._

Jude felt Tommy shifting underneath her, and prayed that when she opened her eyes he would still be there, that it wasn't just a dream. She opened one eye slowly, and then the other, getting a close up view of Tommy's tattoo on his finger. _So it did happen,_ Jude thought, _why am I so nervous?_

She carefully tucked the sheet around her, turning her head up. Tommy was watching her, smiling softly, looking like he was still half dreaming himself.

"Hey girl." He said quietly, pulling her up so that they were face to face.

"Hi. I guess you didn't expect to spend the night …" Jude replied, laughing to herself.

"Nope, but I can't say I minded be held captive in your bed, Harrison." He joked, winking at her.

"Captive? If I remember correctly, you were the one who carried me up here at some point …" Her face blushed at the thought of what had begun down in the living room.

"I got the feeling …. I don't know …"He said, his face suddenly serious.

"Feeling about what? Us?"

"No, I … this is going to sound creepy, but I got the feeling someone was watching us last night downstairs. It was totally weird."

Jude shivered at the thought, her incident with Megan not that far back in her past.

"Hey, babe, it was probably nothing, don't worry about it. And besides, you've got me here, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Promise?" She asked softly, still nervous that somehow things were going to get screwed up again between them.

"Promise. Forever." Tommy replied, kissing her cheek.

"You have to work today?"

"Later. Right now, I just wanted to stay in bed with my girl for another few hours. Work for you?" Tommy said, winking.

"Only if you break out your Little Tommy Q. parachute pants!" Jude replied, doing a dance move from the Pick Up the Pieces video.

"Sorry, gave all my parachute pants away, you know, to charity."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to deal with you wearing nothing then …"

Jude shrieked as Tommy flipped her over, tickling her even though he knew she hated that. He put his hands on either side of her and waited for her to catch her breath.

"Guess who's held captive now …" He whispered.


	22. Chapter 21: Jealousy

Jude watched Tommy get dressed, grinning as he tried to fix his hair in the mirror. She threw on his sweater and an old pair of sweatpants, tapping her foot, faking impatience.

"I don't have all day for you to be standing in front of my mirror, Quincy. Get a move on!"

He just smiled at her, took one final look at himself, and grabbed her hand. They walked down the stairs together, Jude leaning into Tommy, not wanting him to go.

"Do you really have to leave?"

"You know how D is, I gotta get this song done with Karma, but I'll make it as quick as I can, k?"

Jude nodded, and pointed towards the kitchen.

"You want anything to eat before you go?"

His face paled and he shook his head quickly.

"Ok, ok, I get it, I suck at cooking."

"It's true babe, but you make up for it in other ways. I'll grab something on the way to the studio. What are you going to do today?"

Jude sighed, thinking for a moment.

"I'm going to try to talk to Jamie, see if I can make things right. I just don't think I can take losing my oldest friend without at least trying."

"I know Jude, and I don't know why he's taking this so badly, he pretty much gave me the go ahead last time, well, you know ..."

Jude nodded, seeking comfort in Tommy's arms.

"Call me after, and tell me how it goes ok? And when I'm done, I'll come over and pick you up. Take you for dinner."

"Like a date?" Jude asked slyly, thinking back to the moments before he had left to get Darius' daughter.

"Yea, like a date." He said, grinning back at her.

Jude walked him to the door and stood in the doorway, still not ready to let him leave.

"I love you. Call me after you talk to Andrews, ok? I don't want you moping around if it doesn't go well."

"K. Love you too, Tommy Q."

He smiled in spite of himself, both knowing he secretly loved when she called him by his old boy band nickname.

* * *

><p>Jude let herself into Jamie's house, assuming he was home since his car was there.<p>

"Jame? Jamie? You home? It's Jude." She yelled out, closing the door behind her.

She didn't get a response, but heard the dull thud of a bass line downstairs. She made her way into the basement, and saw Jamie sitting in front of his computer, blasting a song she didn't recognize.

"Jamie! HELLO!"

He whipped around, jumping in his chair, sending Jude flying back against the railing.

"Sorry Jamie, I didn't mean to scare you. Where's Zeppelin?" Jude asked, surprised that Zep wasn't around.

"Day off." Jamie said sulkily, turning down the music even more.

"Oh. Did something, um, happen between you?" Jude asked carefully, not wanting to upset him.

"Yea. You came home." Jamie said, sneeringly.

Jude was taken aback; she thought didn't realize how deeply Jamie was taking her return.

"Jamie, look, you know why I came home. And I hate that it hurts you that I came home for Tommy, but I also came home for myself. I'm not the same person I was, not the same writer, same performer, that I was before I left. I needed to be home, ya know?"

"So what does this mean? Are you coming home for good? Are you and Quincy really doing this again?"

"We're talking, figuring things out, trying to make the best decisions for both of us."

Jamie smiled weirdly, and Jude was suddenly uncomfortable.

"Looks like you two have been doing more than talking." It was such a decisive statement, Jude suddenly had chills.

"Have you ... Jamie, have you been spying on us?" she shrieked, backing away from him, towards the stairs.

"Can't help what I see on my own street, now can I?" He replied viciously, making her nerves fray even more.

"Jamie, I'm leaving. You need to pull yourself together. This isn't right!"

Jude ran up the stairs, out of the house, and through her own back door, locking it. Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone.

"Tommy? Oh my god." She said out of breath.

Tommy, spun around away from the soundboard, worried about the tone in her voice.

"Jude, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Remember how you said you felt someone was watching us last night?"

"Yea ..." he replied, feeling anger start to boil his blood.

"It was - I can't believe this Tom, it was Jamie! He practically admitted it when I went to go talk to him! I feel sick, I really do." Jude sat on the floor of the kitchen, welcoming the cool tiles.

Tommy was silent for a moment, hands clenched in fists. Karma looked at him curiously through the glass of the sound booth.

"I'm leaving right now Jude, and I'm going to go talk to that pencil neck Andrews, this is going to stop, now."

"Tommy please don't do anything rash!"

Her voice, pleading with him, brought his pulse down a notch, but not enough.

"I'll see you soon, Jude." He closed the phone, grabbed his coat, and ran towards the back door. Karma called Spied, having heard the whole thing over the mic that Tommy had left on at the board.

"Spiedy, I think Tommy is going to do some serious damage to Jamie ..."


	23. Chapter 22: Understanding

**Author's Note: Thanks to all who have read this far - I see this as about 2/3 of the way through the story. Promise to get updates posted hopefully every day until the final chapter!**

* * *

><p>Tommy barged through Jamie's kitchen door, hands still clenched in fists.<p>

"Andrews! Where the hell are you?" Tommy yelled, not receiving any reply.

He listened for a moment, and heard a small sound in the basement. He charged down the stairs, coming face to face with Jamie.

Jamie's eyes widened, the menacing look in Tommy's making him back up.

"Go ahead, Quincy, punch me. I know you want to." Jamie taunted, somewhere in the back of mind thinking that Jude would leave Tommy in the dust if he did anything physical.

"What, so you can run to Jude with a sob story about how I punched you out for spying on us Andrews? I don't think so. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tommy growled.

"What's wrong with me? Jude comes running to answer your every little call, it's sickening! See you together makes me want to barf."

Tommy started to speak, but stopped before he said something he might really regret later. Then suddenly, it hit him. _Andrews and I are the same; we both love a girl who left us_.

"Andrews, look … I'm not gonna punch you man. I get it. I get why you're acting like this."

"Oh really," Jamie said sarcastically, "Please enlighten me, oh great one."

Tommy resisted the urge to roll his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know what its like to be left behind by the girl you love. It sucks. And I know how I would feel seeing Jude with some other guy, so I can imagine what you're going through. But you have to stop all of this. Stop fighting with Jude, stop freaking her out by being a creep, stop acting like a child."

Jamie looked down at the ground and Tommy knew he was on the right track.

"I know that the way she loves you isn't the way you want her to, but she still loves you. She still needs you, maybe not in the way you hope, but you're her oldest friend. You either need to come to terms with me and Jude, or you need to let her go, for both your sakes. It's not fair to her, and really, it's not fair to you, or to Zeppelin, either."

Jamie nodded slowly, watching as Tommy's hands unclenched, finally looking up.

"Can you tell Jude that I'm sorry? I just need a day or two to think, ya know? Tell her when I'm ready to talk, I'll find her."

Tommy nodded his reply, and turned to leave. He met Spied at the top of the steps.

"Is he –" Spied said, out of breath, "is he still alive down there?"

Tommy laughed. "Yea man, he's still alive. He needs a friend though."

* * *

><p>Jude was curled into the corner of the couch, pale white and still shaking. Tommy came through the front door, took one look at her, and rushed over.<p>

"Jude, its ok. Everything's alright. We just talked."

Jude looked up, eyes wide.

"You didn't punch him?" She said, surprised.

"Sounds like you wanted me to. But no, I didn't. I realized that him and I are more similar than anyone ever thought. He said that he's sorry, and when he's got himself together, he'd like to talk to you. He's just hurting Jude, a lot."

Tommy took Jude in his arms, and slowly the shaking receded. He pulled a blanket over them, and lay back on the couch, Jude on top of him. He thought she was asleep until she suddenly lifted her head.

"Did you at least scare the crap out of him?" She asked.

"Oh yea, Andrews was ready to piss himself when he saw me coming down the stairs. It was pretty funny, looking back at it now." Tommy said, chuckling.

"I've been looking forward to being alone with you all day." Jude said softly in his ear, tightening her grip on his hand.

"Me too, girl, me too. I never want to leave this moment." Tommy replied, closing his eyes.


	24. Chapter 23: Promises

Tommy woke up an hour later, opening his eyes to find Jude's blue ones staring back at him.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked groggily.

"Not long. I was just thinking …" she smirked, and Tommy was intrigued.

"Thinking about what? Maybe taking this up to your room …" He said deviously.

"No you perv, I was thinking about this date you're supposed to be taking me on this evening. Where are we going? What do I need to wear?"

Jude babbled for a few more minutes, while Tommy just smiled and pulled her tighter. He hadn't been this happy since before she'd left. A wave of sadness came over him, reminding him she'd only been back for a few days, and she had to return to London at some point. He shook it off, determined to focus only on the moments in front of him.

"I was thinking a quiet dinner, just me and you. Nothing too fancy, give us time alone, time to talk."

* * *

><p>Tommy returned to Jude's house promptly at 7 that evening, having gone home to change before their first public appearance again. He hoped that the paparazzi would stay away for the evening, give them a chance to get back onto a normal path.<p>

He waited inside the door as Jude made her way down the stairs. Tommy thought she looked beautiful, as always, and felt his heart pound as she grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek.

"Ok! Ready! I'm starving Quincy, stop staring and let's go!" Jude said, grinning.

He opened the passenger side door of the Viper, making sure she was comfortable before he closed the door. Jude smiled to herself at his gentlemanly manners, and leaned her head back, feeling more comfortable in Tommy's car than anyone else's.

Tommy had called ahead to their favorite restaurant, paying a small fortune to rent out the space, so that they would have complete privacy. He knew the manager well, and was assured that any staff would be fired if they attempted to call in reporters. He also had Big Lou posted at the front entrance for extra security.

It wasn't until Jude sat down that she noticed the rest of the place was empty.

"Going big with this date Quincy? What, you trying to get me to come back to your place after?" Jude teased, appreciating every moment of their privacy.

"I already know you'll go home with me Harrison, this is just how I roll this days."

Jude burst out laughing, and Tommy feigned insult. Big Lou shook his head, hoping for everyone's sake the two actually remained in the relationship this time.

They were halfway through their entrees when Jude put her fork down, sighing.

"What's wrong babe? Your food ok?" Tommy asked, not liking the look in her eyes.

"Food is great, it's just … I don't want to go back to London Tommy, not at all." Her eyes glistened with tears, and he grabbed her hand.

"We will figure it out Jude, when you have to go back to finish up recording, I can see if D will give me a little time off, Karma's record is almost done."

"It's not just leaving you, it's leaving all my friends, Sadie, leaving my home. My music isn't as good in London, its just not, and it's cause you aren't there. I want to finish recording here, I want to always record here, with you by my side."

Jude's watery eyes locked with Tommy's, and his stomach was doing somersaults. He had been so terrified about her returning to London that he hadn't even considered she might not want to go back in the first place.

"Jude we will find a way to make it work, ok? Just promise me something."

She nodded, and he cleared his throat, finding the words to continue.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, whether they make you go back to finish up this record, or they book you a tour, or whatever forces you to leave here – promise me you and I will always be us. That we will always be together. I can't live if we're not." He exhaled, not realizing he'd been rambling.

Jude squeezed his hand, tilting her head, looking at the man across from her who was trying to heal his own heart, the one she had broken. She swore to herself that would never happen again.

"I promise Tommy, no matter what. I need you. You'll always be home to me."

He nodded, not sure if he was able to speak without tearing up himself. _Get a grip, Quincy,_ he thought, _no one wants to see you cry. That would be reason alone for the waiter to call the press._

"Then we will find a way through this Jude, no matter what happens, I'm not letting you go away from me again. We will come up with something."

They managed to return to a normal conversation while finishing their meal. Tommy paid in cash – another way to beat the paps at their own game, no paper trail – and motioned Big Lou to get Jude's coat.

He stood up and walked around to her side of the table, taking one hand. She looked up at him, and he lost himself in her eyes.

"Let's go home." Tommy said, pulling Jude gently out of her chair, and helping her into her jacket.

They walked slowly to his car, Big Lou behind them, both lost in their own thoughts. Jude shivered, and Tommy put his arm around her, trying to keep her warm.

The ride back to Tommy's place was quiet, but a comfortable silence. Jude gripped his hand on the shift stick, not wanting to let go. She had waited 4 months to get him back, and she wasn't going to give him up for anything.

Tommy led her into his bedroom and she once again noticed the blanket and pillow that had been piled up at the edge of the bed.

She watched him change out of his clothes, biting her lip. _Just say something Jude; you both have been honest about everything else._

"Tommy, have you – have you not been sleeping in here?" She said, gesturing towards to the blanket and pillow in question.

He turned, his eyes clouding for a moment, looking down before replying.

"After you left, I couldn't bear to sleep in here, it was too lonely without you. I've been sleeping on the couch."

Jude felt her heart break for the millionth time, but she crossed the room, grabbing his hand.

"I'm here now." She whispered.

Tommy nodded, and she lifted his head up, kissing him. He laid her back against the bed, and threw the rest of his clothes on the floor, while she pulled the blanket up around them.

"I'm here forever." Jude whispered again, as she looked up at Tommy, and he brushed her hair out of her eyes.


	25. Chapter 24: In Motion

A few days later, Jude was sitting on the floor of her living room, strumming her guitar restlessly. She was waiting for Sadie, they were supposed to have a girls night while Tommy was working late in the studio. Jude had just checked the time on her phone when the doorbell rang.

"Sades did you forget your key – " Jude stopped short when she opened the door and found Jamie standing on her steps.

"Hi Jude. Can I um, can I come in and talk for a minute?"

Jude wordlessly turned to the side, and closed the door behind Jamie, following him back into the living room.

"Jude look …" Jamie began, pacing back and forth, "I'm really sorry about the way I've been acting since you came back, it was really stupid of me. If you need to come home, then that's what you should do."

Jude sighed and sat down, looking up at her oldest friend.

"Jamie, I'm sorry that you've had such a hard time dealing with, well, you know, Tommy and me, but we've got to find a middle ground. Agreed?"

Jamie nodded and tentatively took a seat near Jude.

"So, what are you going to do? About London I mean, and your contract."

Jude ran her hands through her hair, burying her head in her hands.

"I want to come back so bad Jame, for good. I'm not myself there, the songs are good, but they aren't great. I need …" She stopped, unsure if uttering the name on her tongue would cause another problem.

"You need Tommy, I know. I get it." Jamie said, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes, I need Tommy. But I also need Sadie, and Spied, and Kyle and Wally, and even Karma. And I need you Jamie. I need all of you, you all are my family."

"Well, you could always record at NBR if you were able to." Jamie offered, shrugging his shoulders.

Jude jumped up, suddenly excited, and nearly knocking Jamie off the couch.

"Jamie, you're brilliant!"

"Well, I mean, of course I am! Wait – why?" Jamie said, confused.

"You know that Pagan knows my producer, Colin? Maybe both of them could put in a good word at the label, and I could come back! Oh my God, Jamie, this could be perfect!"

Jamie smiled as he watched his friend run aimlessly through the house, searching for her phone.

"Um, Jude? Your phone is on the table right here."

She snatched it off the table, and quickly dialed a number.

"Nicola? It's Jude, look, I have an idea that I need to run by you."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Sadie and Jude were sitting on the kitchen floor eating ice cream.<p>

"Are you sure you want to do this Jude? I mean, you know I want to have you back home, but do you think this is the right move?"

"I do Sades. I need to be in Toronto, I need Tommy. I'm not going to walk away from him again. I just hope that the label agrees to let me record here."

Sadie nodded thoughtfully, taking another bite of ice cream.

"He was like a saint when you were gone Jude, he never went out, never saw any other girls, he just worked, and went home, and thought about you 24/7. He was totally devoted to the hope that you would come back."

They smiled at each other, and Jude's phone rang, making them both jump. Jude answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Jude? Nicola here. Look, I've talked with Snake, and he's willing to discuss this with you."

"Seriously?" Jude nearly shrieked in reply.

"Yes, seriously Jude." Nicola replied, laughing. "He wants you to come back to have a meeting about it. He'd also like to fly over Mr. Andrews."

"Yea that makes sense, since it's Jamie's recording space and all. Sounds good. When do you want us to fly out?"

"Day after tomorrow, I'll send email you the flight details."

Jude looked at Sadie, biting her lip. Sadie grabbed her hand, and they both turned back towards the phone, knowing that Jude was thinking about having to leave Tommy again.

"Oh and Jude? Snake says to bring Mr. Quincy along. Apparently he doesn't think you'll return unless you've got the most famous ex boy bander as a travel companion."

Jude screamed and jumped up and down with Sadie a few times, while Nicola laughed at the noise on the other end of the line.

"See you in a few days then, Jude?"

"Yes, yes, see you then Nicola!"

Tommy walked in 10 minutes later to find Jude and Sadie in the kitchen, excitedly talking about something and screaming every other word. He cocked his head to the side, unsure if he should interrupt.

"Um, Harrisons? What's going on? Justin Timberlake coming to the studio tomorrow or something?"

Jude leaped into his arms so hard he nearly fell over, causing Sadie to fall on the floor laughing.

"The plan, Quincy! The plan! It's all in motion!" Jude shouted. Tommy bit back a crack about her blowing out his eardrums, he just grinned as Jude began to tell him about the phone call.


	26. Chapter 25: Unholy Alliance

Jude sat between Jamie and Tommy on the plane, literally bouncing in her seat from a major caffeine overload. As soon as the seatbelt light went off, Jude jumped over Tommy's lap and made a beeline for the restroom.

"Nice going, Andrews." Tommy said across the empty seat.

"Me? You're the one that brought her an extra large coffee this morning."

"Well how was I supposed to know that **someone** had already made her three cups before I got there!"

Jamie and Tommy glared at each other, before Jamie smiled.

"She's all yours Quincy, your girlfriend, your overly caffeinated Harrison to deal with."

Tommy sighed, throwing his head back against the seat, and turned towards Jamie.

"We're not getting any sleep on this flight, are we?"

"Nope. None. You know we will have to work together to keep her from driving the entire plane crazy."

"Yep. I know. Licorice?" Tommy offered Jamie the package, and Jamie pulled a few pieces out, nodding his thanks.

Jude had come out of her caffeine high just in time for the plane to land, thanks to Tommy and Jamie joining forces on ordering her endless glasses of water, pretzels, and any food they could come across.

"Tommy, I'm tired." Jude whined as the plane taxied to the gate.

"Well Jude, had you not drank like, your weight in coffee this morning, we all could have slept. So you're going to have to be the big girl you are and get it together for this meeting."

"Can I get a coffee in the terminal?"

"No!" Jamie and Tommy yelled at the same time.

"Ok, ok, jeesh. What are you two, the coffee police?"

Tommy grabbed his bag and Jude's as he made his way out of the plane, with Jude and Jamie following close behind.

They pulled up to Bermanzi **(A/N: I really have no clue how they spelled that!)**, Jude half asleep on Tommy's shoulder.

"You ready for this girl?" Tommy asked, shaking her awake gently. Jude took a deep breath and nodded, looking over to Jamie. He nodded back at her, and they exited the limo to a surprisingly quiet street. Tommy silently thanked God that there were no paparazzi, as the three walked into the large doors of the building.

Jude heard a hushed squeal from the reception desk, and waved discretely to Brittany, the office manager. She waved and winked back as Jude grabbed Tommy's hand, not wanting to let him out of her sight.

"Jude, darling!" Colin yelled from across the floor, rushing over to hug her.

"You must be the infamous Tommy?" He said, shaking Tommy's hand.

"And you! James is it? I've heard a lot about you from Pagan. Nice to meet ya mate. Come on now, Nicola is waiting with Snake in his office."

The three Canadians looked at each other in solidarity, ready for their mission: Bring Jude Home.

They followed Colin into Snake's large office on the second floor. Nicola was fiddling with a pen nervously in one of the chairs.

"Ms. Harrison, you've returned." Snake said, coming over to shake her hand. "And I see you've brought the infamous Mr. Quincy and Mr. Andrews, who I've heard a lot about. Take a seat please."

The three settled on a long sofa against the window, Jude once again in the middle. She gripped Tommy's hand in her left, and Jamie's in her right, nerves starting to take over.

"So Jude, I've thought about what you discussed with Nicola: moving back to Toronto and recording at Mr. Andrews' space. I had some doubts, as I am sure you can understand, but both Colin and Pagan have assured me that Mr. Andrews is quite capable of handling your schedule and needs. So, with that said, I've had some time to think about both the direction of your career, as well as the development of this record label."

They all set, breath baited, as Nicola smiled encouragingly behind Snake.

"Mr. Andrews, I'd like to offer taking on NBR as a sub-label. We would underwrite all of your costs, but you as president would have the majority of control over operations. "

Jamie's eyes bugged out, and Jude nearly shrieked with excitement for him.

"I present you this offer with two conditions. First, Jude will not only record at NBR, she also will produce and take on the position of Vice President."

Jamie nodded, and Snake cleared his throat before continuing. Jude watched Nicola tense up, and wondered what came next.

"The other condition is that Mr. Quincy come on as head producer and co-President."

"What?" Tommy and Jamie said loudly at the same time.

"Pagan told me you both might object to this at first, but he discussed at length your skill, Mr. Andrews, for finding and developing new talent. We also discussed Mr. Quincy's impeccable production skills, and his greatest accomplishments – Jude's records. Those are the only two requirements Mr. Andrews, and we will happily take you and your label on."

Jude looked back and forth between Jamie and Tommy, biting her lip, not daring to speak.

"You are probably aware of this Snake, but I'm still chained to G-Major and Darius for another two years or so. I don't know how I'd get out of that contract, I signed it originally to get Jude's catalogue from him."

"I am aware of your situation. However, Darius Mills has something I want, and I have something he doesn't want to get out." Snake replied, grinning.

Jude looked at Jamie and Tommy again, seeing both of them mulling things over.

Finally, Jamie spoke.

"I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity Snake. While Tommy and I may not always see eye to eye personally, I know that we both want the best for Jude and her career, and I trust his ability to produce and make creative decisions."

Tommy nodded at Jamie in thanks, and Jude squeezed Jamie's hand.

"Well then, Nicola, can you hit play on the TV then?"

Nicola turned towards the TV set, turning it on and pushing play. The screen was fuzzy at first, but quickly came into focus. They all stared at a young man in baggy pants, no shirt, and a large chain. He started rapping, and Tommy burst out laughing. Jude could barely watch, embarrassed for whoever the performer was, and Jamie stared with his mouth open.

As the video faded out, Snake and Colin turned towards the sofa, while Nicola shut the TV off.

"Recognize the kid in that video?" Snake asked through chuckling.

Jamie and Jude shook their heads, but Tommy felt something fall into place.

"Is that who I think it is?" He asked, unsure if he was believing it himself.

"It is. That ladies and gentlemen, is Darius Mills." Colin replied, trying not to laugh again.

Jamie, Jude, and Tommy looked at each other before bursting into hysterical laughter, Jude wiping happy tears from her eyes with the tissues Colin offered her.

"You may not know this, but way back 1984, Darius Mills was known as D-Rock, a rapper out of Toronto. This video was shot as a promo spot while he was visiting in London, and all mention of the big "D-Rock" was swept under the rug when his first album tanked. Trust me, Mr. Mills does not want this, and the masters of his only record, to be released to the public."

They all stared in awe as Snaked walked back to his desk, amazed at the plan before them.

"So, shall I call him then, make this official?"

The three on the sofa nodded, unable to get words out.


	27. Chapter 26: Celebration

"So, Darius, if I could just put you on hold for a moment, I'd like to discuss with my new staff if there's anything else they need to say."

Snake hit the Hold button before Darius could reply, and looked expectantly at the three of them.

"James? Jude? Tommy? Any last requests before the big D goes down?" Snake said, grinning.

Jamie shook his head, Tommy looked shocked, but Jude was pensive.

"I do. One more thing. Put D back on."

Snake did as requested, and Jude stood up to get closer to the phone, taking a deep breath.

"D, its Jude. I have one last thing to ask."

"What else do you want from me Harrison? My unborn grandkids?"

"No, Darius, just my sister. When she quits, I want you to let her go, free and clear, nothing over her head."

"And why would Sadie quit? She's running World Instant Star, and she's assistant to yours truly."

"Because, as the new VP of NBR, I'm planning on offering my sister the head PR position. And she will say yes. Do I have your word?"

"Fine, fine, Harrison. We'll see if she quits."

Jude smiled and made her way back to the couch, where Jamie high fived her, and Tommy put his arm around her.

"And with that, I would like to welcome you all officially to the family here, and while we have much to talk about, Colin's wife will kill me if we don't all head over to their house for a celebration, right Colin?"

"You are correct Snake, Kim has a thing for feeding Jude. "

* * *

><p>Kim had cornered Tommy while Jude and Colin laughed to themselves nearby.<p>

"I wonder what they're talking about?"

"She's probably telling Tommy to make sure he fattens you up!"

Jude smacked Colin playfully, and made her way over to the pair to save Tommy from listening to endless recipes and produce advice.

Pagan and Jamie sat on the other side of the room, watching the scene in front them, a giant smile still on Jamie's face.

"So, young James, how does it feel to have NBR backed by Snake?"

"It's great, you know, it's going to be so amazing to bring the resources he'll be able to provide back to Toronto and sign some new artists to the label."

Pagan motioned towards Jude and Tommy, who were slipping into their own world.

"And Jude? How are you doing with that? It can't be easy for you to see those two together again."

"I was terrible to her Pagan, when she came back. But Tommy surprisingly made me see how I was just hurting her, and myself, more, so I know I've got to live with it. And I know that she still needs me, not like she needs him, but I can be there in ways no one else can."

"I'm glad to hear that James. I had hoped when I suggested to Snakes that he bring in Tom to the NBR team that you wouldn't think I was trying to hurt you or make things worse. I truly believe with the three of you at the helm, you will create a label for any artist to be proud of."

Tommy led Jude out to the patio and leaned against the railing, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"So, Quincy, are we done with this London thing? I want to go back home with you. And hole up at your place, for many, many days."

Tommy looked down at Jude, smiling at the thought.

"Almost, Harrison, we have one thing left to do. Pack up your apartment here."

Her face fell, and Tommy gripped her closer.


	28. Chapter 27: My Song

**Author's Note: I hope everyone likes this, I was going to take it in a slightly different direction, but I listened to the first song in the chapter the other day, and I knew I needed to work it in.**

* * *

><p>Tommy followed Jude into the apartment, noting that she seemed nervous.<p>

"Um, I'm just going to clean up the bedroom real quick, I'll be back in a few." Jude mumbled, heading down the hall.

Tommy walked around the living room, sensing something was off. It occurred to him that while the room was nice, it was impersonal, it held nothing that screamed Jude. It was weird, being in the place she had left him for, and he knew it made her uncomfortable as well.

"One night," Jude said to her self, as she threw clothes in the closet, "One night, and Tommy and I can leave this in the past."

She hastily made the bed and picked up shoes that were strewn across the floor.

Jude met Tommy in the living room, feeling more awkward then she thought she would.

"I think we're both pretty tired," Tommy began "Why don't I shower and we can get some sleep?"

Jude nodded gratefully and showed him to the master bathroom, smiling as he checked his hair status in the mirror. She waited until she had heard the water running for a few minutes and hurried down the hall.

Tommy stepped out of the bathroom 20 minutes later to find the bedroom empty. He poked his head into the kitchen and living room, but there was no sign of Jude. He made his way down the hall, hearing Jude singing faintly.

He quietly opened the door at the end, which he had first assumed was a guest bedroom. He looked up to find Jude sitting at a keyboard, back towards the door, in a makeshift studio. Her guitars stood along the wall to his right and there were half written songs strewn across the floor. It was the only room in the entire place that actually looked like Jude's home.

The song Jude was singing hit him like a sucker punch, it was the loneliest song he'd ever head her write. Stepping into the room undetected, he knelt down and realized that underneath all her pages of scrawled lyrics were pictures of him and her. He picked up the closest one, a shot that Sadie had taken in the early morning hours of recording Jude's third album, at G-Major. They had passed out sometime around 5 am on one of the studio couches, Jude laying across Tommy, his arms holding her close, and his fingers tangled in her hair. Tommy had never seen it. He looked up at Jude, and the song nearly broke his heart all over again.

_They Weren't There* _

_You breathed infinity into my world  
>And time was lost up in a cloud and in a whirl.<br>We dug a hole in the cool grey earth and lay there for the night.  
>Then you said, "wait for me we'll fly the wind,<br>We'll grow old and you'll be stronger without him" but oh,  
>Now my world is at your feet. I was lost and I was found,<br>But I was alive and now I've drowned.  
>So now I will be waiting for the world to hear my song<br>So they can tell me I was wrong..._

_But they weren't there beneath your stare,_  
><em>And they weren't stripped 'till they were bare of<em>  
><em>Any bindings from the world outside that room.<em>  
><em>And they weren't taken by the hand<em>  
><em>And led through fields of naked land<em>  
><em>Where any pre-conceived ideas were blown away...<em>  
><em>So I couldn't say "no".<em>

_You sighed and I was lost in you, weeks could've past for all I knew._  
><em>You were there blanket of the over-world and so I couldn't say,<em>  
><em>I wouldn't say "no". But they all said, "you're too young to even know,<em>  
><em>Just don't let it grow and you'll be stronger without him"<em>  
><em>But oh, now, my world is at your feet. I was lost and I was found,<em>  
><em>But I was alive and now I've drowned.<em>  
><em>So now I will be waiting for the world to hear my song<em>  
><em>So they can tell me I was wrong...<em>

_But they weren't there beneath your stare,_  
><em>And they weren't stripped 'till they were bare<em>  
><em>Of any bindings from the world outside that room.<em>  
><em>And they weren't taken by the hand and led through fields<em>  
><em>Of naked land where any pre-conceived ideas were blown away...<em>

_But they weren't there beneath your stare,_  
><em>And they weren't stripped 'till they were bare<em>  
><em>Of any bindings from the world outside that room.<em>  
><em>And they weren't taken by the hand and led through fields<em>  
><em>Of naked land where any pre-conceived ideas were blown away...<em>  
><em>So I couldn't say "no".<em>

Tommy could hear Jude's voice shake at the end and he knew that she was trying not to cry. He stood and walked over to her as she put her head in her hands. He touched the back of her head, and she turned quickly, and looked up at him, eyes watering and lips shaky. He pulled her up off the bench, and took her in his arms so tightly, had Jude not been relieved she would've been worried about her lack of air.

"What're the tears for, big eyes?" He said quietly pulling back to look at her again.

She shook her head, not sure where to begin.

"It's so awful for me to be here Tommy, in this place, knowing that every night I spent here was a night I was without you, a night I was hurting you. And I know its weird for you to be here too. I just wanted to leave and never come back."

Tommy sighed and thought for a moment. She was right, it was weird for him to be there, but it felt like it was something they both needed to do, to confront, to continue on.

"I know it's hard for you be here babes, and its hard for me too, but I have an idea. Let's take tonight, say everything we need to say about this past 4 months, everything that happened, and when we leave tomorrow, all that pain and regret will be left in this space. And I promise, we'll never come back. Can we do that?"

Jude nodded and sunk to the floor needing to sit down. Tommy sat next to her, and picked up another photo, smiling to himself. The photo was of them, the first paparazzi shot, by the lake when they were working on their first song together.

"I love this picture of us. Where'd you get the print of it?"

"Someone from the tabloid sent it to G-Major for me, not long after I moved, and Sadie forwarded it to me. I guess for comfort, or inspiration, or to remind me of what I'd done."

"It's the moment I fell in love with you."

Jude looked up at Tommy, wide eyed, and he looked at her, but he was seeing the past.

_She was so frustrating, pushing all his buttons, but he couldn't get his mind off of her. The way she looked at him, the way she laughed, the way she bit her lip when she was trying to figure out a piece of a song on her guitar. He was drawn to her, it was like a guiding force, and he when he put his arms around her to fix the chord, he felt at home._

"Why did you leave me the way you did, Jude?" The words fell out of Tommy's mouth before he realized he was even saying them.

"I was so scared. Scared of the way you made me feel, the thought of losing you somehow in the future, the uncertainty of it all. I was terrified of everything Megan made me realize – that I still loved you, that I would always love you; that I could lose you. I did the only thing I could think of, I ran away. When you came the day I left, the look on your face, I cried the entire flight here Tommy. I cried for weeks. I cried myself to sleep every night until I went back to Toronto, from the guilt and the pain, and the realization that losing you was the only thing scarier than wanting you and loving you as much as I do."

Jude took a deep breath, watching Tommy's face closely. He took a few deep breaths, and Jude understood he was trying not to cry himself.

"I need you to hear something Jude."

He left and went into the living room and grabbed a CD out of his bag, returning quickly to Jude.

"There's 17 songs on this CD, every one of them written after you left. I need you to listen. Ok?"

Jude nodded her head, and Tommy placed the CD in the stereo, grabbing pillows for each of them. He lay back on the floor, pulling her to his side, and closed his eyes as the first song started.

_Torn to Shreds**_

_I don't wanna fall in love  
>But it's been taken outta my hands<br>And right now I realize  
>I don't wanna say goodbye<em>

_I miss you more than words can say_  
><em>They never turn out right, but here goes anyway<em>

_Everyday I miss your touch_  
><em>Never thought it would mean so much<em>  
><em>All the words I could've said got me reeling torn to shreds<em>  
><em>Every road I go is nowhere<em>  
><em>But I know you're out there somewhere<em>  
><em>These voices in my head got me feeling torn to shreds<em>

_I can't help the way I feel_  
><em>That something's got a hold of my heart<em>  
><em>It hurts but I can't let go<em>  
><em>Yeah, I just wanna let you know<em>

_I need you more than words can say_  
><em>They never turn out right, but here goes anyway<em>

_Everyday I miss your touch_  
><em>Never thought it would mean so much<em>  
><em>All the words I could've said got me reeling torn to shreds<em>  
><em>Every road I go is nowhere<em>  
><em>But I know you're out there somewhere<em>  
><em>These voices in my head got me feeling torn to shreds<em>

_If I ever get myself together_  
><em>And it takes whatever it takes<em>  
><em>To get myself back to you<em>

_Everyday I miss your touch_  
><em>Never thought it would mean so much<em>  
><em>All the words I could've said got me reeling torn to shreds<em>  
><em>Every road I go is nowhere<em>  
><em>But I know you're out there somewhere<em>  
><em>These voices in my head got me feeling torn to shreds<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>*<em>"They Weren't There" by Missy Higgins. Youtube it.**

****"Torn to Shreds" by Def Leppard. Youtube as well.**


	29. Chapter 28: Home

**Author's Note: Thank you SO much to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, I am really proud of how it turned out, and I love the way the way it came together. I am considering writing a sequel - if you are interested a review stating so would be great! I hope for those who were disappointed in the series finale that this story gives you a vision of what might've happened. **

* * *

><p>Tommy woke up slowly to the sound of shuffling papers and locking guitar cases. He opened is eyes one at a time, finding that Jude was the cause of the noise. To Tommy's surprise, she had packed up most of the room.<p>

"How long have you been up?"

Jude turned, smiling, and walked over to where he was still laying on the floor.

"Couple of hours, just wanted to get the packing over with. Honestly, outside of this room and my clothes, there's not much to do."

Tommy nodded and pushed himself up, groaning at how stiff his back was. Jude grabbed his hand, and helped him to his feet.

Tommy picked up an old photo of Jude, Jamie, and Kat that was laying on the floor. Jude turned and saw what he was looking at, taking the picture in her hand.

"I saw Kat, right before I came back. She tracked me down and showed up at the label one morning. It was really great to see her again."

"I know." Tommy replied, placing the picture in a box.

"What do you mean, you know? Stalking me Quincy?" Jude laughed.

"Kat called me about a month after you left, to find out what happened. She mentioned she was moving to London for college, and I asked her to check up on you when she got there, to make sure you were doing ok. "

Jude leaned against the keyboard, remembering her day with Kat.

"She told me … she told me to wait for you Jude, that you'd realize one day you'd made a mistake. I asked her why she thought that, and she said the only thing that would be more terrifying to you than knowing you were wrong, was the thought that you had lost me. "

"She was right."

They stared at each for an eternity before Tommy cleared his throat and finally spoke.

"What can I do to help you? What time is everything being picked up?"

Jude checked her phone and sighed.

"An hour. There's two suitcases in the bedroom, can you pack as much as you can in those, and the rest in boxes?"

"Sure thing, Harrison. Just promise me one thing – we're ok after everything that was said last night, right?" Tommy asked, studying Jude's eyes.

"Yes, Quincy, everything is more than ok. And your songs, babe, they were amazing. I hope one day you return to recording and releasing your music for the world to hear. " Jude replied, smiling at Tommy and taking her hand in hers.

Tommy lowered his head and kissed Jude, knowing that their relationship would be stronger than it ever could've been with last night's confessions.

"Those songs are for you, girl, and only you. But maybe someday, we can talk about me releasing a solo record. But only if you're beside me every step of the way."

Jude wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear.

"I'm here, forever, always. You're mine Quincy, and I'm yours. Take me home. I'm ready to leave London behind."

* * *

><p>Tommy and Jude waited in the living room for Sadie to return from work. Jude hadn't told her the specifics about what happened with her contract and NBR; she wanted to do it in person. Jude paced with her guitar, strumming the chords to a new song, while Tommy jotted down the lyrics they were working on.<p>

"I know, I know, I'm late!" Sadie yelled as she flew in the door, nearly tripping over the step. Jude smiled and Tommy shook his head as the two watched Sadie right herself and put her bag down.

"Can't Darius ever let you leave that place at a decent hour?" Jude asked, worried for her sister.

"You know how D is, and with this one over here out of the studio the past few days, it's been even worse." Sadie replied, smacking Tommy's arm as she sat beside him on the couch.

"Well, I don't think you'll have to deal with that much longer. Either of you." Jude said, and Tommy tried to keep a straight face, not to give anything away to Sadie.

"What do you mean?" Sadie asked, her eyes narrowing, smelling a Jude plan.

"You know how I worked things out so I could come home and record? Well, there's a little more to it. Snake is going to underwrite NBR! I'll be able to record and write from here now, permanently, as VP of NBR."

Sadie jumped up and grabbed Jude into a huge hug.

"Jude that's amazing! But what did you mean when you said that neither Tommy nor I will have to deal with Darius anymore?"

Tommy smiled at Jude and nodded for her to continue.

"Tommy will be head producer at the label, and co-president with Jamie – "

Sadie burst out laughing, cutting Jude off.

"Wait," Sadie said, catching her breath, "Are you serious? Jamie and Tommy? I can't wait to see this!"

Jude nodded and Tommy rolled his eyes.

"But – how does this relate to me? Besides Tom leaving me alone at G-Major?"

"Sades, if you'd let me finish, I would've been able to get to that. We've decided … " Jude paused for effect, watching Sadie's eyes widen. "We've decided to offer you the PR position at NBR. Effective immediately, that is, if you're interested."

Sadie screeched so loud Tommy covered his ears and leaned away from her.

"But, what about Darius? And how did you get out of your contract, Tommy?"

Jude and Tommy went on to tell Sadie about what had happened in London, complete with the promise to show Sadie the video.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, Jude and Tommy pulled up to the building where the rehearsal space was, arriving for their first NBR meeting. Jude, Tommy, and Jamie had decided that renting out the rest of the floor and turning the space into NBR's new home was both economical and a nod to the time Jude and SME had spent writing and practicing there.<p>

They got into the elevator, and Tommy turned to Jude.

"I've got a surprise for you. But you have to close your eyes."

Jude looked at Tommy skeptically, putting her hands on her hips.

"Tommy, this better not be like the "surprise" you and Spied pulled on me last year with those creepy dolls!"

"I promise, nothing like that, just close your eyes, ok?"

Jude sighed and closed her eyes as requested. Tommy grinned and pushed the button for the right floor. He led Jude carefully out of the elevator when it stopped, and kept one hand over her eyes and the other on her waist as he guided her down the hall and opened the door.

"You can open your eyes now." Tommy whispered, pulling his own hand away as Jude slowly lowered hers, still nervous.

"Tommy, is this what I think it is?" She said, shocked. They stood in the middle of a large room, with a red couch pushed against the far wall, and a beautiful, old black grand piano in the middle of the room. Her guitars, and Tommy's, were lined up against another wall, and posters for her 4 records were framed and hung above them.

Tommy watched her face light up, not saying anything. He smiled as she took a few steps forward, lightly touching the piano, and turning towards him.

"It's the Chrome Cat. I remember this piano. And that red sofa. But, I thought we were renting out the floor above?"

"We are. But I thought it would be nice for us to have our own space, you know, just to write and record and have somewhere to escape to when we need it. This room means so much to me Jude, that night with you, on your 17th birthday, it was …"

"Amazing." Jude finished his sentence, grabbing the back of his neck and kissing him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it! But how did you get all this done so fast?"

"I may have enlisted Sadie to help." Tommy said, and was quickly cut off by the phone on the wall ringing.

"And apparently she installed a phone as well." He commented, answering it.

"Tommy? Sadie. Can you and Jude come up now? I have a huge announcement, don't say anything to her though."

"Sure thing, Sade, be up in a few."

He hung up the phone and turned towards Jude, taking her hand.

"Sadie has requested our presence upstairs."

Jude rolled her eyes and followed Tommy upstairs.

They opened the door to the old rehearsal space to find Jamie, Speid, Wally, Kyle, Kwest, Zeppelin, and Karma moving around equipment and untangling cords. Sadie stood in the middle of the room directing the operation, and Jude just shook her head and smiled.

Sadie turned around and smiled back, clapping her hands.

"Ok, people. Let's take a break for a minute. I have a really huge announcement to make. Jude, I just got off the phone with Snake."

"And?" Jude asked anxiously.

"You've been offered a North American tour! Jude you'll be headlining!" Sadie screamed, and the room erupted into applause and yells.

Jude stood, shocked, Tommy's hand still gripped in hers.

"Oh my god," She said softly, "Oh my god! Tommy!"

Jude turned to him and he picked her up, spinning her around in a circle.

"Girl that's amazing! I am so proud of you!"

He set her down and Jude looked into his eyes, knowing she never would've gotten the chance she was just given if it wasn't for him.

"You wanna come on tour with me Quincy? Hotel rooms, late nights, living out of a suitcase." She said, grinning.

"I'm all in Harrison, I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again. I'll be your normal." He replied, grinning back, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Jude turned and looked at her friends and her sister celebrating. It was the dream of a lifetime, and they were all living it.


End file.
